Science Education: A Process Approach to Studying Toxic Substances and Their Effects on Human Health is a cross- discipline teacher enhancement project which integrates basic science concepts, related technology, risk assessment, and science processes methodology. In each of three summerrs,a different group of thirty high school teachers from California and contiguous states will participate in a two- week program structured on the chemistry and biology of toxic substances, proper management of hazardous materials, and related concerns of human health. Content lectures and varied discussion sessions will be complemented by individual and group laboratory exercises as well as planned field trips to a dump site, a sewage treatment plant, a hazartdous waste facility (Lawrence Livermore), and research laboratories analyzing and investigating management methods of toxic substances. Participants will be expected to incorporate the concepts of and activties into their classroom curriculum with special emphasis on the process approach emphasized in the program. Follow-up sessions during the school year will not only facilitate an exchange of information and experiences among the teachers, but will also provide an opportunity for the project staff to evaluate the effectivenesss of the program in introducing the timely subject of toxic substances and human health into high school science courses.
